Born To Survive
by Arimas22
Summary: It's been five years since Riddick left them. Jack is a normal teenager, so why is she wanted by the government? What will happen when a new character joins them? TCoR never happened but after PT, Jack/Riddick Riddick/OC R
1. Chapter 1

Five years had already passed since she tricked people into thinking she was a boy. She still could. It wasn't fair! She was eighteen today and still, she looked like a plank. Apart from her thick hair, there was nearly nothing feminine about the way she looked. There were no hips, nearly nothing in the way of breasts, nothing to suggest that she was a girl.

"Jack! Wake up girl! Your breakfast is getting cold!" She could hear the excitement in Imam's voice. The holy man had been the closest thing she ever had to a father.

"I'm coming Imam!" She called back down. Glancing back into the mirror once more before getting dressed, she couldn't help but sigh. It was ridiculous to think that she would wake up one day looking like a woman. She had gotten her hopes up too high again. But even half a cup size would have been appreciated. Jack wasn't going to let that ruin her birthday. After all, she was eighteen today and that was major. Bounding down the stairs, Jack fastened a smile to her face and hope that Imam wouldn't sense what was bothering her. He had always been good at that.

"There you are!" suddenly she was enveloped in Imam's robes, the holy man holding her tight. "My little Jack is eighteen today, I can hardly believe this!"

"Imam, let the girl breath!" Sita pulled her husband from the girl before giving Jack a tight hug of her own. "Come, I've made french toast and bacon and eggs as you like them and I promise no one will mention how much you eat." She smiled lovingly at the girl she had come to think of as her own daughter.

"Thank you Sita, thank you Imam. You both are the best!" her grin was real this time, she could not hold back the joy and humor in what Sita had said. Jack had always eaten a lot and never gained an ounce. Sita and Imam had found it hysterical, Sita almost laughing in disbelief the first time she had seen Jack eat when she moved in with them a year and a half prior.

Sitting at the table, Jack laughed so hard she almost cried, there were candles in the french toast and a beer had been set in front of her plate.

"Beer? Imam you never drink, defiantly not for breakfast."

"I seem to remember a certain mirror eyed friend of ours saying the best way to start a birthday was with a beer for breakfast. Today, you are old enough." His smile faltered for a second.

"Thank you Imam." They both looked down for a moment, remembering the man who had saved their lives three years ago. The man who had stayed with them for only a few months before leaving silently without telling anyone.

"Enough of the pensiveness you two, eat before I eat it all myself." Sita said as she piled Jack's plate with food.

"Happy birthday Jacky!" her friends had surrounded her at her gift-wrapped locker, all with a sharpy ready to write more notes of love and lucky wishes and inside jokes.

"Wow! Thank you guys so much!" Jack couldn't believe how many friends she had made in the two years she had been at her school. It had taken her a year to be comfortable around so many people before Imam finally stopped homeschooling her. "I can't believe you guys did this all for me!" she laughed with her friends, reveling at how she had finally become a normal teenage girl. It had been so long ago that she had almost died on a planet of monsters, ridden away in a ship with the universes' most notorious convict and a holy man, and had been picked up by a ship full of holy men on their way to Mecca.

"Oh my god Jacky, I can't believe you're the first one of us to turn eighteen and you're not having a party!" Celine handed Jack a plate full of brownies, in fact, almost all her friends had made her sweets. Jack appetite had become somewhat of a legend.

"Imam and Sita offered but I figured I could use some other things instead. Thank you guys so much! I can't wait to eat all this stuff!" she grinned and giggled and laughed at the things they had written on her locker.

"We're gonna be late for first period!" the bell had rung and they had all scattered to their respective classes, but not before shoving a crown on Jack's head and demanding she keep it on all day. Walking to class after class, Jack was greeted by friends who commented on the frilly pink thing on top of her head. She had never been one to like pink frilly things and was just as likely to play football with the guys as she was to go shopping with the girls.

The day was almost over, two more periods to go and one of them was s study hall. Thank whatever god Imam prayed to that she could get her homework done before she went home. It was bad enough she had to study for three hours everyday, added homework would only make that worse. But in Imam's house, she would have to study and go to college, all of which he had offered to pay for. "Jack Al-Walid please report to the main office." The intercom had buzzed on. Everyone turned to look back at her.

"What? I didn't do anything this time." She grinned at them before picking up her bag and leaving. Walking down the hall, she fell into a contemplation. It really had seemed like another life. Imam and Jack had built a life without Riddick but when he had been there, things had always been fun. Except at night. When Jack woke up screaming from nightmares that Riddick shooed away. Some nights he would sleep next to her bed just so he would be there when she woke, assuring her that those monsters were back on their own planet and that Johns wouldn't get her.

"Jack, there you are. Your guardian is here to pick you up, it seems you have a doctor's appointment." The receptionist opened the door for her. "Happy birthday, by the way."

Sita waited on a bench for her, grinning from ear to ear. Jack brow knitted together. As they walked out of the high school, Jack finally questioned Sita.

"Oh no dear you don't have a doctor's appointment. I didn't think you would mind getting out of school early to do a little shopping." They both laughed.

"Happy birthday dear Ja-ack! Happy birthday to you!" Sita set the cake down before Jack and the couple cheered as she blew out the candles. There weren't many presents on the table, things from her friends and from Imam and Sita.

"Open ours first!" Sita pushed a box into her hands as Imam smiled. Jack tore off the paper and opened the box to find a book. _Most Dangerous Convicts of the Century_ jumped out at her in dark shined print. Her head jerked to Imam.

"Guess who's number one." Jack laughed so hard she cried as she opened the book and saw her hero staring up at her. The flash from the camera made his eyes shine up through the mug shot. She began to read the note next to the picture, forgetting about the other presents. "Read it later, Jack. There are others." Imam gently took the book from her hands and set it aside, handing her another box.

Jack had received more books, clothes, even some makeup and hair dressings. All of her friends had chipped into to get her a huge gift they had stapled a note to. _Things that every woman will need!_ Imam turned an amazing shade of scarlet as Jack pulled out thongs, condoms, bras that were much too big for her, a small bullet shaped thing that vibrated when Jack pushed a button that made Sita spit out her coffee and a pack of things call breast enhancers that came in three sizes. They looked like little chicken cutlets. There was more in the box but Jack thoughts she would spare Imam the embarrassment, although she had laughed so hard she had almost peed a little.

"There's one more left Jack." Sita picked up a very small box. "But it doesn't say who it's from." Jack looked up and took the box.

"Probably from Jen, she always forgets to sign things."

"But didn't she give you the eyeshadow kit?"

"Yeah…" Slowly, Jack unwrapped the gift and opened the box. Inside was a crystal that she had never seen before, shaped as a circle. She pulled it out of the box to reveal a silver chain and a tiny note.

_Sorry kid._

Was all the note had said. Two words that struck her down to her very core as she turned her wide gaze to Imam. He took the note as she turned the crystal up to the light. It turned from silver to a purple color and from that to a shade of orange. It looked like a sunrise.

"Who in their right mind would send a young woman such a gift without telling her who it was from?" Sita saw the look on her husband's face a settled down into her chair. "What is it Imam?" Jack slowly put the necklace around her neck and closed the clasp. It fell to her breast bone on it's short silver chain.

"You do not need to worry Sita, it is merely an old friend making a long awaited apology." Imam stared into the crystal sphere.


	2. Chapter 2

It was her birthday today. Had she gotten his present? He was on Jupiter when he'd seen it and thought of her, paid the small fortune for the rare crystal and mailed it to her. She'd be eighteen. On some planets, she'd have kids already, married with a house. Imam would keep her in school, no doubt about that. He wondered how she looked, she had been little more then a kid when Riddick had left her. He had been twenty-three then.

Did she still have nightmares? Was she angry at him for leaving the way he did? He flipped through the documents one of his informants had given him. New death warrants. Kill on sight. A bunch of faces he didn't know, some he did. No one really important. Next file, bounties. Just a bunch of low level convicts. Almost nothing that mercs would consider a huge payday. The last file his informant had given him was sealed, he had told Riddick it had confidential bounties. People that the government wanted quickly and quietly, no press. Only the best mercs in the universe were given copies of this file.

Ripping open the sides, he flipped threw the pages. Some politicians, some leaders of rebel groups, and one that made Riddick's eyes grow wide and his hand shake as the file fell to the floor. Staring up at him was the picture of a young girl with wide green eyes and long brown hair. She was going into a High School, surrounded by a bunch of other girls. Smiling, laughing, sixteen. Jack. Jack had a bounty on her head. A very big bounty with the very best mercs chasing her. He jumped behind the controls and set his course. Hellion Prime. They weren't going to get Jack. The file said she had information about him. Which meant they were going to torture her for information she didn't have. No one was going to touch her.

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The knock was so soft, she almost didn't hear it. She sunk into her bed and gave permission to enter. Imam slipped through and sat next to her.

"Are you alright, my child?"

"I'm fine Imam. I just didn't expect something from him, it's been years since he left."

"Our friend Mr. Riddick is an odd man. He does not include himself when he speaks of humans, yet he feels their most basic emotions. I know you were angry when he left without saying anything, he knew as well."

"Then why did he do it?" Jack looked up at him, suddenly the stubborn girl he had known when they first arrived on this planet.

"Things are never black and white, Jack. You must always remember this. Although Mr. Riddick could not give us a reason for leaving, does not mean he did not have a very good one." He hugged the young girl.

"But he still should have said something."

"He knows this. And this is his apology. I have never seen such a crystal but I have heard of it. It is extremely rare, worth quiet a lot. It's called Agape. It's from a very old Earth language that means love." He hugged her once more before standing to leave. "Remember Jack, you have come a very long way from the untrusting, hard child that you were. But if Riddick had been here, I don't think you would have." With that, he left.

He was right, of course. It had been Riddick's absence and knowing he was never coming back that had pushed her to go to the therapist that Imam offered and slowly start to heal the wounds she had carried from long before the crash of the Hunter-Gratzner. From her life as Audrey. Jack blocked out those memories as she laid down on her bed, her birthday almost over. The house was completely quiet, Imam and Sita would have gone to bed after prayers that Jack still refused to take part in. Slowly, she slid into sleep thinking of the last night she had seen Riddick.

_She woke up, covered in sweat. There had been a hammer-head on top of her, knowing for her flesh, trying to break through the bone that shielded her. She heard it begin to crack. Riddick. Where was Riddick? He would save her, he wouldn't let this monster get her. What was taking him so long?_

"_Riddick!" she felt herself try to scream but heard nothing more then a whisper. She tried again. "Riddick!" and again and again but nothing but whispers came out until her throat was raw from crying and screaming. The bone was about to break. Riddick wouldn't let her die here. He would come back for her. He had to. The bone gave way and the monster actually smiled down at her, slowly moving its head towards her as it's claws scratched her side. Riddick was going to save her. He had to. He had to. The monster lowered it's head an inch before her face. Riddick wasn't coming. Riddick had left, taking the only ship with him. Leaving her and Imam and Fry to die here. There was only a horrifying pain as her thoughts abandoned her and the monster ripped into her stomach, pulling out her intestines. The blood spilled out onto the floor, mixing with the mud and the rain as more monsters joined in. Her eyes were wide and dark and empty but she still felt the pain. He hadn't come for her. _

"_Jack…shhhh….it's okay…." But Riddick was there. She felt his arms around her waist, he pulled her away from the monsters, through the mud until she was safe. He had come back for her. "Calm down. It's just a dream. They're not here, we left them back on that planet."_

_They were on her bed, in her room, in Imam's home. Riddick was behind her, cradling her against him, stroking her hair to calm her. He was there, he had come for her, he had saved her, they weren't on T3. She was safe as long as he was here._


	3. Chapter 3

The crashing of glass startled Jack to attention. Sita ran into her room. "Jack! There are men in the house!" Jack hadn't felt this kind of adrenaline in years. She reached under her pillow and grasped the shiv she had never touched before then. All the things Riddick had taught her were back, unfaded from deepest part of her mind. She moved out into the hallway, saw Imam at the end, trying to fix a vidscreen to call for help. That wasn't going to work. She motioned to him and Sita to hide somewhere before she flung her body over the stairs and landed on the floor below.

"It's rude to come into people's houses uninvited." Suddenly, she was the smartass kid she used to be, practicing the things Riddick had drilled into her.

"That's the girl, they want her alive." One man rushed her, almost catching her off guard. She was a bit rusty after all. But she stepped to the side and sliced through his stomach, leaving his bowels to empty on the floor.

"Who's next?" she took her stance, ready, loving the fire in her veins, remembering the power she had loved as a kid. Two more men charged at her and she round kicked on and shoved her knee into another throat, collapsing his windpipe.

"Bitch! Get her!" more men came at her.

"Jack!" Imam had called out to her and she glanced up for a split second. But that was all these mercs needs, they knocked her to the ground and shoved a needle into her neck. Jack screamed out in pain.

"Tie her up and kill the other two." Were the last things she heard, Imam's face the last thing she saw before her vision tunneled and faded.

"Wake up you stupid bitch!" a switch kick to her stomach and she was wide awake, her vision still blurry from the drugs.

"So this is her is it? Aren't eighteen year olds supposed to have a bit more body? Are you sure it's her?"

"Look at the picture dumb shit, it's her. Why the fuck should I care that she looks like a twelve year old boy? We're gonna drop her off and collect our pay."

"Wh-what do you want?" Jack had managed to say, stumbling to her knees. These fuckers had chained her to the floor.

"Don't act stupid. We know who you are Jackie girl and we know who you know." A thin man fiddled with a knife as he said this, his voice taking on a sing-song tone.

"I don't know what you're talking about. I'm a eighteen year old girl, what could I know that you could possible need?" Find out what they want and act like you don't have it.

"Don't lie you little bitch!" the one with the knife stood and slapped her, cracking her lip open.

"Dave! Watch yourself." That had to be their captain, otherwise the man would not have backed down like he did.

"Listen, Jack. I know what you're trying to do so I'll just save you the trouble and tell you what's going on here okay?"

Jack nodded slowly.

"We know that you know Richard B. Riddick. We know he lived with you for a number of months. We know you have information about him."

"You don't know shit. Yeah, I've met Riddick but that son-of-a-bitch died back on T3! It was all over the papers, not that I expect mercs to know how to read." She spat at his feet. She hated mercs, maybe even more then Riddick did.

"Listen honey, no one here is going to hurt you while I'm still in command. This is my ship and we're just trying to make an honest living."

"By kidnapping teenagers?" at this, the captain smiled.

"Well at least you're witty. Not a bad fighter either, from what I heard. I didn't think it would take so many men to take you down." Suddenly, Imam came to her mind.

"Imam! Sita! You killed them!" without warning, tears sprung to her eyes. The captain's brow furrowed and he turned to the men behind him.

"I told you guys only to get the girl, not to kill anyone, especially not her guardians."

"They were going to get in the way boss."

"He was a god damn holy man! Are you fucking stupid?!" Jack looked up at this. And noticed the thin man looking back at her, licking his lips in a way that Jack had seen too many times in her young life.

"What are you looking at?" she spat at him, drawing the attention of the captain.

"Dave, leave her alone. While she's on my ship, she's under my protection. The government wants her unharmed so unchain her, clean up her cuts and lock her in my cabin and if anything happens to her I'll make sure you pay for it myself. The government will be the last of your worries." The government? Jack kept her eyes downcast as she was unchained and led down the hall to the infirmary.


	4. Chapter 4

The house was broken apart on the inside. On the outside, nothing anybody would notice unless they were in the backyard. One broken window. At least six men. Broken glass, tables, chairs. The smell of blood and the body of two mercs strewn on the floor. Jack had put up a fight, that much was clear. Riddick walked towards the front of the house and leaned against the stairs. There was something shiny on the ground, knocked under a broken pot. A shiv, one that he had given her to keep under her pillow. Just in case, he had told her. This was the case. As Riddick stood, pocketing the shiv, he felt something drop on his head. Wet. He looked up and saw a small red dot falling towards the floor.

Riddick walked up the creaking stairs. At the top, his stomach dropped. Something he didn't think was possible. The holy man was strewn across the floor, a woman bent over him, sobbing uncontrollably. He stepped forward, allowing her to hear his steps.

"No! Haven't you already done enough!" she screamed, holding Imam's body.

"Who did this?" she looked up and her eyes went wide.

"You're Riddick…" her blouse was covered in Imam's blood.

"Who did this?" Imam had been the closest thing that Riddick had ever had to a friend. Who had killed him?

"They were mercenaries. They were looking for Jack. She killed two of them before they got her down and put a needle into her neck. After that…" she choked. "they killed my husband…He told me you would come...told me to tell you what happened." Riddick look at her. So this was Sita? Riddick knew Imam had gotten married, had even received an invitation to the wedding. He had contacted Imam a few times, to make sure everything was alright. Riddick's eyes went to the vidscreen that was flashing against the wall. Imam had tried to call for help. Walking closer, he saw the number Imam tried to call. It was the last number Riddick had called from. Imam had tried to call him, knowing they would go after Jack.

"They are really after you." Sita looked at him. "I know you knew my husband, I know how much you meant to Jack."

"How?" would Imam really share that with her? Even if she was his wife.

"I heard her scream for you at night, heard the conversations of assurance that Imam would give her. I love that child as if she were my own." Quietly, she began to sob again.

"Where's her room?" Sita pointed to a door at the end of the hall.

Jack really was just another teenage girl. Her walls were purple, covered in pictures of friends and shelves filled with trophies and medals. Jack was a black belt and a grade A marksmen with a variety of weaponry. Riddick felt a wave of pride surge through him. His Jackie Girl was still a fighter, still knew how to survive. He pulled out a bag from the closet and shoved some clothes into it. Glancing towards the desk, he noticed a book, with shined large print. _Most Dangerous Convicts of the Century. _

He had read the book before, knew he was number one. He opened the cover and saw an inscription that Imam had written next to his picture.

_A man may make mistakes but it is the good he does which defines him. Mr. Riddick may have killed many people but he also gave me a daughter and for that, he is one of the greatest men either of us will ever meet. Happy birthday._

Jack would want this, when he found her. Riddick shoved it into the bag, rummaged through the drawers and found her Ids and shoved more clothes into the bag before he turned to the table next to the bed. A picture of Riddick, Imam, and Jack stood in a frame. Jack smiled and waved at the camera, she had asked the picture be taken by the holy men they had been picked up by. Riddick stood there, his goggles covering his eyes. Next to him, Imam smiled slightly, peacefully, as though he knew something they didn't. He took the picture from the frame and pocketed it.

"I'm going to find Jack. No one will hurt her." He didn't look down at Imam or Sita. "Call these people. They'll clean up without any questions, it'll be easier for you." He handed her a number and left, walking out the front door and into the busy streets of Hellion. Whoever did this was going to die a very slow and painful death. But before that, he had to find them. The beast inside him growled at the prospect, ready for the hunt.


	5. Chapter 5

"Get your fucking hands off me!" Jack kicked Dave.

"You stupid bitch!" he drew back his hand and swung to slap her but Jack ducked beneath him and shoved her shoulder into his stomach.

"Dave!" the captain was behind them, in the doorway to his room. "I told you not to touch her."

"She started it!" Dave sat up.

"Are you five Dave? The next time you touch her, I'll cut off one of your fingers. Now get out." Dave glared at Jack with murder in his eyes before finally leaving.

"I'm sorry about that. Dave is a bit of a…"

"Dick? Yes I've noticed." Jack kept her defensive stance. "What do you want from me?"

"All I know is that the government thinks you know where Riddick is."

"Riddick is dead, no one's heard from him in three years." Riddick couldn't be dead, but he didn't know that.

"Well if that's the case, they'll return you to your home as if nothing has happened."

"What home?! Your men killed the only kind of family I had left you dumb fuck! What am I supposed to go back to!?" the man looked at her silently.

"I never ordered my men to do that. I am sorry." He sat in a chair and regarded her. "I don't believe we were properly introduced, I'm captain Johns. I own this ship and command the men on it." Jack stiffened at the name. "Your name is?"

"You already know it." He smiled stiffly. This girl was beginning to wear down his patience.

"Yes, I do. Is there anything you like to be called? Jackie perhaps?"

"No. Jack. Just Jack."

"Well Jack, I suggest you stay in the guest room attached to my bedroom. It will be the safest place for you." He stood to lead her, ready to accept her gratitude.

"No thank you."

"What?" he looked at her, unable to hide his shock.

"I would prefer your crew not think you were fucking me. They'll think they can get a piece as well." She was clever, though she hadn't quiet finished the thought. Years away from Riddick had gnawed down at her need to be paranoid. He smirked as he approached her.

"I'm afraid that's not your choice." He grabbed the chain that connected her large cuffs and dragged her to the room. Pushing her inside he pointed to a screen next to the door. "Do not open the door for anyone unless I am with them." Her eyes widened in sudden shock. _So she finally gets it._ He thought to himself.

"What's keeping them from getting in?" she narrowed her eyes as she spoke.

"It locks from the inside." With that, he closed the door and waited outside to hear it lock. He didn't have to wait more then a second for Jack to awake from her shocking realization. Mercenaries didn't treat people nicely like this. But this girl was special. She knew were Riddick was. And once he knew, he would kill that son of a bitch himself.

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Jack quickly looked around, checking all the drawers and cabinets. Under the bed and in the bathroom until she finally found a pair of tweezers. It was better then nothing. Locked inside her safe room, she sat on the bed and set to work to get the cuffs off her wrists. She could barely believe her luck. The one merc in the universe who wasn't a complete douche. Government bounties weren't treated any different then normal ones. You could beat them as long as they were alive upon delivery.

But Captain Johns was trying to protect her, from his own crew. A crew which was most likely pretty pissed at him for denying them a bit of fresh meat. But Jack couldn't trust him. He was a merc, he might be the only good one in the universe but he was still an ass hole by association.

The click of the lock shook Jack from her thoughts. It had taken too long, her skills had gotten more then a little rusty. She had honed her aim but had become lax in her fighting skills since the black belt test Imam insisted upon. Her room at home had been littered with trophies. A room she would never go back to. She didn't know where Riddick was, how could she? Once they found out she was of no use, they would kill her. Or send her to prison. A slam where they would tell her she could never see daylight again. Jack couldn't help but smile at the memory. She had already killed men tonight, there was no doubt about that. The way one mercs skull cracked under her round kick and the other, with his collapsed wind pipe, gasping for breath. He would have been dead within minutes. She never thought she would go to slam after Riddick left. It had taken Imam a very long time to talk her out of going after him. It took him a year to convince her that being normal was what was best for her. She was going to go to prom, go on dates, go out with friends, go to college. She had wanted these things, accepted that a good, normal life would ultimately make her happy, a life without Riddick. She had wanted it. She was working hard for it, getting good grades in all her classes, studying hard for tests. It was all for nothing.

Jack pulled her knees up to her chin and leaned against the headboard. It had all been for nothing. The hours of studying, taking all of the advanced courses, going out with her friends. She would never see them again. She wondered what kind of story they would hear, how quickly they would accept that they would never see her again.

Imam. Sita. They had died because of her, for protecting her, for being parents to her. If she had left after Riddick, none of this would have happened. Imam would be alive, still muttering his prayers and Sita would be in the kitchen, cooking for two, not having to worry about Jack eating most of it. Sita had always joked about it though, stating that Jack's appetite was the only thing that kept her thin. At that thought, Jack couldn't help but smile. But she would never see them again. She wouldn't let herself cry. Riddick hated it when she cried. He had told her one time that he had caused too many women to cry in his life. Killing their husbands, brothers, sons. Jack began to finger the crystal around her neck to distract her. She wouldn't cry.

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Riddick ran the system scan as quickly as the ship would allow. He had to get off this rock and he had to find her. She didn't know where he was and once the government found out that she was useless they would throw her in a slam, if they decided to be nice. How could he have gotten her in so far? She had been a normal teenager before last night. Riddick breathed out the fire in his lungs as he remembered her room. How it smelled like vanilla, how the walls were covered in pictures of friends and trophies and awards. Next to her pillow had been a small empty box with a note that had only two words. She had gotten his gift. She had it with her, unless the mercs had decided to steal it.

They were all going to fucking die. For killing Imam, for ruining Jack's life. For touching her. Riddick's jaw tightened. He knew how mercs were with women. Especially pretty young things. He knew Jack had things in her past she hadn't told him, hadn't told anyone. More then one kind of monster stalked her nightmares. How many times had she woken up, limbs flailing screaming for some unseen assailant to stop, her tears staining the pillow. Those were the only times she would ever flinch from Riddick. But once she realized it was him, she would cradle herself against his side and cry herself back to sleep. For months they slept in the same bed, Imam never commenting. He understood without having to have it explained. One of the things Riddick had liked about the old holy man.

But he was gone now and Jack was in danger. Riddick flew out of the port, without bothering to request permission. He dodged a large cargo vessel and heard things in the galley fly out of cabinets he had forgotten to lock before taking off the way he did. He had to find her, had to kill the fucks that took her. Would torture them if they touched her. Probably would anyway.


	6. Chapter 6

_His ship was warmer then usual. His chest burned with the need for oxygen. Riddick bolted up in his seat, sweat covering his body. It was her again, the woman he'd seen before he left Imam and Jack. She had warned him that danger was coming if he didn't leave. _

"_Riddick…" she nodded slightly, regarding him with wide blue eyes. The darkest blue he had ever seen, almost electric. _

"_You…" her lips smiled, a beautiful thing. _

"_Yes…Riddick, it is me. There is a deeper meaning to this mission then you know." Behind her, the Furyan landscape stretched out into eternity. _

"_There is no deepness. I'm going to kill everyone who touched her."_

"_Why? Because she is yours? My dear, I am afraid you still have not embraced what is in you."_

"_What?" Riddick looked at her, curious. An odd peace was washing over him, as it always had when she told him things. Warned him, told him when she run and when to fight._

"_Listen closely Riddick. You have a beast within you. It is your animal side. Something our people have had since time began, through history we have learned to assimilate with it, control it, embrace it, nurture it. You were not raised under the training that all Furyans are. You were not taught. It is up to you to embrace the beast before it rips you from the inside."_

"_I have controlled it."_

"_You have kept it sated, that is all. But one day it will call for more blood and it will be a price too high for you to pay. But this is not all I have come to warn you about." Riddick felt his heart beat faster as she walked towards him, her skin the same tan as his, the gate in her walk told of long battles and restless nights. His kind of woman. But she wasn't here, wasn't alive anymore. If Riddick believed in any kind of god, she was his. "Jack is safe, for now."_

"_How do you know that?" another smile, slow and drawn out. _

"_You think of me as a god. I know you're thoughts, do not look so surprised. Your people worshipped many gods, gods who's times have all past. I am all that is left. I am what the Furyans called Aleta. The truthful one. I am Fate."_

"_I always thought we made our own fate."_

"_Oh, humans do decided which paths to take but I am the one who decides what choices those paths will have. I am the last goddess of your people Richard. You are one of the last living Furyan males. We are scattered throughout the universe. Jack will lead you to another of our kind."_

"_How will I know if he's a Furyan?" the woman smiled. _

"_Have faith, my dear Riddick, you'll know. I will keep Jack safe. But you must hurry. Time runs thin for her." She placed her hand upon his chest and her lips on his and melted into his being. Riddick had never felt such peace and certainty. _

Riddick slowly opened his eyes, adjusting to the dimness of the cabin. Very rarely did he wake peacefully from dreams, his chest was still warm, his lips still burned. But something was wrong. The screens at his helm were flashing in and out, changing coordinates by themselves. The ship picked up speed he didn't know it had. This was insane. Ships didn't move by themselves but he hadn't touched anything. What the hell was going on?

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Jack had fallen asleep, left alone for so long. She had time to take a shower, even read some of the books that were stored on a bookshelf.

The loud buzz of the door jerked her awake. The vidscreen showed only Johns. She shivered once more at the name, a natural reason to be cautious. The door slid open and she saw he carried a tray.

"Huh?"

"If you don't want to eat, I can always take this back to the galley." He smirked at her. Those blue eyes haunted her.

"No um…thank you…" She took the tray from him.

"It's going to be a few days to get where we're going. People can't live without food." He looked down at her and noticed how green her eyes were. Saw the distrust behind them. "Of course I could just starve you. Weaken your resolve."

"You could. But that wouldn't be very nice." He couldn't help but chuckled.

"What makes you think that I'm a nice person?" those eyes looked too familiar. Jack's smile fell.

"Absolutely nothing." She saw him bite down on the words about to jump from his mouth. "Thank you again." Still looking him in the eye, she pressed the pad and the door slid shut and locked.

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That little bitch had shut the door in his face! He didn't care how cute she was, he was going to kill her once he got the information he needed out of her. Stubborn, arrogant, bitch. It was bad enough that his crew was pissed at him for not letting them have her. They didn't get too many women on board, even as convicts. But when they did, he let the crew do whatever the hell they wanted to them. But he had protected her. If she trusted him, she might be more complacent.

Johns strode into his bathroom, a nice warm shower would help his tension. He leaned his large frame against the wall as the wall poured over him.

"_It's either kill or be killed Junior. There's no two ways about it in this job."_ _His father held a gauge out to him, showing him the different parts. _

"_I'm going to be the greatest merc ever when I grow up Dad. I'll make you really proud." His father ruffled his brown hair, one of the few differences he had from his father. _

"_I'll be back in a few month Junior, until then take care of your mom. You know how she worries. And once I come back, we're moving to a nice neighborhood off this planet." _

"_Big payday dad?" even at sixteen, he knew how his father's job went. _

"_The biggest. A Mr. Richard B. Riddick. He's the end all, be all of convicts and he's gonna pay for a new house and a car for you." His father smiled before putting the gaudge away and walking out of the room._

Johns sighed, it had been five years since he had seen his father. And it didn't take a genius to figure out why. He was going to skin Riddick alive. Maybe he'd even fuck the girl, obviously she meant something to him. He'd do that just to piss him off before he killed him.


	7. Chapter 7

"Captain, we're docked." Aaron looked to Johns.

"Good, go have some fun boys. Try not to kill anyone." His crew nearly flew off the ship. Ajay was a lawless planet, riddled with brothels and crack houses. The only time the inhabitants of this world really got along was when they would periodically ban together to beat whatever force the government sent to try to force them to join the Alliance. Johns smiled to himself. God it was good to be home. He breathed in the air as he stepped off the ship and into the busy dock, heading directly for his favorite brothel. Time to let off some steam.

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Jack knew they had landed, had even hacked into the computer system through the vidscreen in her room. She knew there was basically no one on the ship. Even the captain was gone. Where they stupid? Apparently not, Jack's hope turned as she saw four heavily armed guards outside of her door. She swallowed nervously. Two she might be able to take on, but not four very large men. Jack looked around for another solution. She had to get out of here, Riddick wouldn't help her this time. She would have to rescue herself. She went into the bathroom, there had to be some sort of exhaust in here. Nothing.

Walking back into her room, she inspected the ceiling closely. Still, nothing. Leaning against the bookcase, Jack almost feel over when it was pushed back. Why wouldn't it be up against the wall? She pulled it aside and a wide grin broke over her face. An exhaust vent. It wasn't very big and for once, Jack was happy for her small frame as she started on the bolts with a shiv she had fashioned out of metal from the bathroom. She didn't know how much time she had, not that it mattered at this point. She was going to get the hell out of here as quickly as she could.

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Jack had been running for at least fifteen minutes, she was at least a mile and a half away from the shipping docks by now. She had been here before, when she was much younger, a few months before the Hunter-Gratzner. It was the worst place to be for a young girl, especially one who was alone. She had to keep running. Maybe if she could get to a phone, she could call for help. Jack slowed her pace at that thought. Who would she call? Her friends? Who knew basically nothing off of Hellion, they would think she was joking. Imam and Sita were gone. Who would help her? She was wanted by the government, for god's sake. The only person who could help her was Riddick. And he had left her years ago. _Not like I even know where to reach him…_Jack sighed inwardly, slumping her shoulder into the rain.

A second was all it had taken. Strong arms reached out from the shadows and grabbed her, wrapping an arm around her wait and another covered her mouth as they dragged her, kicking and flailing, into an alley.

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"Jack! You open this goddamn door!" Johns slammed his fist into the metal, leaving a dent where it had connected. "Aaron, override the lock! NOW!" he was shouting now, his face almost red, his eyes a bright, angry blue.

The boy hurried to do as he said and within a moment, the door slid open. "Jack! What the fuck-" Johns was screaming at an empty room. The crew behind him slowly began to back away. They had seen him angry but this was different. He was seething anger. Slowly, he turned around and walked out of the room. He was going to tear this whole god damn planet apart until he found her. And when he did, he was going to beat her to within an inch of her life.


	8. Chapter 8

"Let go of me!" Jack screamed just as she was dropped onto a carpeted floor. Was Riddick there? Had he come for her?

"Lisa, go get Adena." An extremely defeated looking girl turned and fled up a flight of stairs. "Let's get things straight you little whore. You were stupid enough to walk around me city without some sort of protection, you belong to me now."

Jack stared up at him, fire in her eyes. "Like hell I do!" she began to stand up but the large man punched her, forcing her head to connect with the wall behind her. Jack saw stars as she sank to the ground, the copper taste of blood filling her mouth. Riddick would kill him.

"You called?" a voice called from the staircase.

"Yeah. Got this little thing not too long ago, she's a bit scrawny but I know you can make her a masterpiece." Jack cracked her eyes open enough to see the large man who had abducted her walk over to a woman and tenderly touch her face. The woman just stared at him with surprisingly blue eyes. "She's got a fire in her, kind of like you did when you came here. Till I broke you." He backhanded her suddenly. The woman, Adena's, turned, but the rest of her body remained still, as if nothing had happened.

"What makes you think I'm broken Ele?" she smirked at him, that smirked looked familiar. It was the same, drawn out smirk Riddick had. Jack tried to push herself up. Not giving him a chance to respond, Adena walked over to Jack. "Get up kid." Jack did so and stood as steady as she could, looking Adena straight in the eyes. They were the deepest blue Jack had ever seen. "Well you're a sturdy girl. That'll serve you good here. Follow me, try not to bleed on the carpet. I know you want to spit on it but trust me, the self satisfaction isn't worth the ass beating." Jack followed Adena up the stairs, past the man she called Ele. The pale man smacked her ass as she walked by and laughed as Adena grabbed her wrist and pulled her forward. "Get used to it."

It was then that Jack noticed her surroundings. The carpet was a flush pink, the stairs were made out of something see through. The walls were hung with pictures of woman in erotic positions, many in sexual acts. The woman in front of her, Adena, wore only a purple thong and bra, studded with crystals and heels. Jack swallowed hard. Apparently Adena had heard this. She slowed her paced and walked beside Jack. "Just realized you were in a brothel did you?" Jack slowly nodded. "Don't worry kid, you get used to it. If you're strong enough, it almost seems bearable. Besides, you don't really have a choice." She fingered the metal collar around her neck.

"You're all slaves?"

"You'll get a collar like this to, probably in a few hours when Ele picks up another one." She opened the door to her room. "Sit." Adena pulled a med kit out from under the bed. The room was decorated similar to downstairs. Jack couldn't help but noticed the only think it is was a bed. All pink or red, all fluffy, all reeked of sex.

"You live here?"

"Yeah. It's a lot nicer then the last place. My name is Adena by the way." She smiled at her.

"Jack." She waited to hear the remarks she always heard, something to imply that Jack wasn't a proper name for a girl her age but Adena just nodded and set about to mending her broken lip.

"How old are you?"

"I'm eighteen…my birthday was last week I think. I've kind of lost track of time." Adena's smile faltered.

"I'm sorry."

"Why? I had a nice birthday. For the most part anyway" Jack fingered the crystal at her neck she had somehow managed to hang onto.

"Ele gets rid of girls at thirty five. Says at that age they're too old to bring in enough money to earn their keep."

"Oh…" Jack didn't need any further explanation. She had just turned eighteen and wouldn't get out until she was thirty five. But Riddick would come for her before then, she wouldn't be here fore long.

"I'd hide that if I were you." Adena motioned to the crystal around Jack's neck. "If Ele sees it, he'll take it, if a client sees it, they'll take it too."

"Where?" Adena smiled.

"Where all of us hide any jewelry we're brought in with. Our undies." She pulled out a small thong from a container underneath the bed. "These should fit you, tiny little thing aren't you? Here, take this and sew it to the inside, try to hide it in the seam if you can. We all take care of our own clothes and stuff, you'll be able to keep it safe."

"Why are you being so nice to me?" Jack looked up, green eyes meeting blue ones.

"I've only got a few years on you kid but I've been in this life for awhile. You kind of remind me when they first got me. All spunk and fight. Don't you ever let them take that away from you. Trust me, they'll try. They will whip you and beat you until you're near dead. But keep that fire and you'll be alright…well better off than most of the girls that are dragged through those back doors." Jack nodded, she understood more then Adena knew.

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Riddick had seen Jack running through the streets, had followed her and had noticed he wasn't the only one. A large pale man had been following her since she left the shipping dock. But he was running out of steam, Jack had been in a sprint for almost two miles. But for some reason, she started to slow down. No! Keep running Jack! She had completely stopped now, her shoulders slumped. The man in the shadows crept up on her and before Riddick could cover the ground between them through the crowds.

"Jack!" he tried to scream but she was already gone. She had seen him, he was sure of it. Her eyes had nearly popped out of her head and her mouth opened to scream for him before a hand clamped down over it. He was going to kill whoever had taken her. The beast inside him purred as he tore down the alleyway. He was going to skin that fucker alive. The adrenaline in his veins was acid. He had to find her. This was a bad place for anyone, especially young, pretty, women. That man would either rape her or sell her to someone who would.

He could smell the man, hear his footsteps. He wasn't far behind him. Jack would try to slow him down as much as she could, fighting all the way. That was his Jack. The scent went cold, lingering in front of a door to the back of a large building. It reeked. That son of a bitch had taken Jack into a brothel. He either owned the place and did his own dirty business or he was a slave trader. Both were disgusting to Riddick.

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"Adena! Bring that little tramp down here!" Ele hollered up the stairs. As they came down, Adena kept Jack behind her. Jack allowed this woman to stand up for her, stick with the strongest and you'd have at least some protection. Especially since there were at least five other men waiting at the bottom of the stairs.

"You called Ele?" her voice was low, seduction, husky. Adena stood there, her hands on her hips, her posture relaxed.

"Got her collar. Bring her over here."

"You're not putting that fucking thing on me!" Jack yelled at him and saw his face turn purple.

"You little-" he made to lung at her but Adena held out her hand, standing firmly in front of Jack.

"You're not going to touch this girl Ele." Jack's jaw almost dropped. Adena couldn't have been heavier then a hundred and thirty pounds and she was telling a man three times her size what he was going to do.

"Get out of my way!" he punched Adena squarely in the jaw, but she still didn't move.

"You're not going to touch this girl!" her voice was almost a roar, the other men backed away slightly. Jack noticed Ele fishing in his pocket for something.

"You stupid bitches all have to be taught a lesson." In his hand was a small remote with a dial on it. Slowly, he turned the dial up.

Jack could hear the crackle from Adena's collar but the woman showed no sign of pain. "Used to that voltage already huh? How about this?" he turned it up again. Jack could see her muscles tense but her face remained calm. What the hell was she?

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_Thank you guys for all the reviews, it's nice to know that someone appreciates the story. I haven't written a fanfiction in so long but I figured Pitch Black was the perfect comeback, the characters are very straight forward and to the point and I thought it would be a nice recess from the figurative way I usually write. I am trying to stay as true to the characters as I believe possible, I know in some of their actions people will be like "WTF? Riddick wouldn't do that, he'd just kill them." Or "Why is Jack acting like a scared little schoolgirl?" I assure you that this is still early in the story and Jack has yet to slide fully into the kick ass little punk she used to be, it'll happen though. _

_Until then, please keep reading and reviewing, your comments are always appreciated, even if they're mean. I welcome constructive criticism once I get past the initial stage of anger. Lol. _

_Also, I know the time line is a bit off since at first, I decided it would be three years. But making Jack eighteen made her seem like a child and putting her in a normal high school setting, I was worried people would assume that she had somehow become one of those sixteen year olds that say "like" a lot and do a fish face for myspace pictures. I had also noticed everyone seems to skip five years, I'm almost certain this has something to do with making Jack sexually legal in most countries. I decided to jump on the band wagon. I figured it would make my life easier rather then skipping years ahead later in the story as I had originally planned. Thank you guys again!!_


	9. Chapter 9

"Jack!" Riddick ripped the door open. He knew he didn't have too much time, screw finesse. No one was going to touch Jack.

"Riddick!" he saw her, standing behind a tall brunette. Six men turned and looked at him. His eyes focused on the large pale one.

"Oh Ele…looks like you went and picked the wrong girl today." The woman laughed deep in her throat. He went to strike her but she ducked and punched him in the side, so quickly Riddick could barely follow it. That was how it started. The woman pushed Jack into a corner as the men closed in on her. "Don't worry Jack, they won't touch you." The woman smiled at his Jack and Jack nodded to her, her disbelieving eyes never leaving Riddick.

"You never learn your lesson Adena." The pale man, Ele lifted a remote as one of his lackeys attacked Riddick.

"I told you that you couldn't break me when I first came here Ele. No amount of voltage will change that." The woman was mocking him now. The collar around her throat labeled her as a slave. But she wasn't the scared, cowering female he knew slaves to be. Especially pleasure slaves.

More men had started to pour out of surrounding rooms. More men to keep him from Jack. But the slave seemed to be protecting her, for whatever reason. The last thing Riddick saw before a number of armed men charged him was Ele turning the dial up on the small remote. And the woman gritting her teeth but standing strong.

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"Riddick!" Jack ran out from behind the woman into the group of men, hitting and kicking one.

Adena could not believe her, she told her to stay put. But there was no time for that. She smiled as she felt the beast inside her coo. It was finally getting some action. She cracked her neck from one side to the other and within a heartbeat her fist connected with Ele's face, knocking him back before tornado kicking him in the head. The sickening crack of his neck breaking broke through the air, stopping the action around her. Facing the other men she smirked. "Whoever touches the girls get the same thing." She stepped forward towards Jack.

"Get the remote! Turn it all the way up!" one of the men ran to Ele's dead body and grabbed the object from his hand. Turning the small dial all the way up, he saw Adena stumble as more men attacked Riddick and tried to grab Jack.

Adena stood straight again and crescent kicked the remote from his hands before imbedding her fist into his gut and her knee into his chin. Oh God, it was too easy. Her muscles burned from years of this kind of inactivity. But it felt so damned good to feel someone's bone crushing beneath her fist and her leg and her knee and her elbow. Anything on her body that she could damage someone with, she did. Men fell around her as she spun.

Jack was equally busy, these fuckers were coming out of nowhere. How many men were in this brothel? She couldn't help but notice another set of men running for both the front and back door, customers not wanting any trouble.

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Riddick could see the amount of men starting to thin out, too easy. Especially with Jack by his side. And the other woman, whoever she was. He had never seen a woman fight like that. He had never seen anyone fight like that. Except, of course, for himself.

"Jack!" he called to her, cracking the neck of the last man that stood between them. He had never seen such a light in her eyes as she stepped towards him. Before the woman stepped between them.

"Stay away from her." Wide blue eyes met liquid silver and Riddick was shocked for the first time in years. It was her. Aleta. The deepest blue eyes he had ever seen stared back at him in angry defiance, protecting Jack. His Jack. But she was the goddess of his dreams, her hair unbraided and falling down her back.

"No Adena, it's alright." Jack stepped form behind her. "He won't hurt me."

"Like hell he won't." Adena pulled Jack back, forcing Riddick to step forward.

"No…really, he's here for me." Jack once again pushed past Adena and looked up at Riddick. "It's the least he can do." She saw the tick in his jaw muscle from that. Who the hell was he to get angry? She was the one who had been abandoned damnit!

"We're going." Riddick grabbed hold of her wrist and pulled Jack forward, unable to tear his eyes from the woman in front of him.

"No…I don't think you are." A voice, raspy and cold, sounded from behind them. Behind them, a woman stood, holding a gauge behind Adena. "Let go of my merchandise."

"Rebecca, are you retarded? Do you know who that is?" Adena turned, forcing her eyes from Riddick and ignoring the howling of the beast inside her head.

"I don't give a fuck who that is. He's going to let go of that little cunt right now."

Did she just call Jack a cunt? Not okay. Riddick dropped Jack's wrist and moving in a blur, knocked the gauge from the woman's hand. "You don't _ever_ call her that. You understand?" Rebecca's eyes went wide at the pressure of his shiv against her throat.

"Yes…"

"Good." Riddick lowered the shiv and handed the gauge to Jack. "We're leaving now."

"Damn right we are, more people are coming and they're packing heat." Adena was quickly riffling through the pockets of the dead men, removing wallets and anything of value. Riddick almost smiled, this woman, whoever she was, she knew the drill. She lifted the coat from a man's body and wrapped it around herself, hiding a gauge in the pocket. "Let's go." She was right, Riddick could already hear the sounds of men's boots and the clicks of their gauges. Jack looked to Riddick, nodding his approval they followed Adena out into the alley.

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_Another short chapter, I know. I would like to thank everyone who has reviewed, especially Saismaat. I hadn't realized I had so many spelling and grammatical mistakes but I no longer trust Microsoft word. _

_Saismaat-I'm not sure if Johns will try to rape Jack in front of Riddick. I'm still trying to decide if he's going to be the same ass hole his father was or just a loyal son hell bent on revenge. It was a possibility that popped into my head, I know he's going to do something to Jack in front of Riddick but whether it's rape I'm not sure. Thank you so much for all the reviews, I'm going to be home all day tomorrow and will be revising the chapters that have errors in them. Thank you again!!!!_


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